msp or jetta 1.8t??

A

alexelie

Member
:
protege5 red
so i have thought about buying a protege speed, but heard about a lot fo problem here and there and yesterday a friend gave me a run in his jetta 1.8t which has unitronic stage 1+(201hp ad like 18psi). it was really fun and pretty quick. i have some questions:

1. how easy is it to have 200hp in a speed? can it be achieved with around 500-600$?
2.is it still reliable at 200hp or a little more.
2. why would you choose a speed over a 1.8t?

I was very impressed and the engine seems to be very strong which is not the case with the speed, but a lot of people buy them and they are not as original as the speed.

thanks.
 
alexelie said:
so i have thought about buying a protege speed, but heard about a lot fo problem here and there and yesterday a friend gave me a run in his jetta 1.8t which has unitronic stage 1+(201hp ad like 18psi). it was really fun and pretty quick. i have some questions:

1. how easy is it to have 200hp in a speed? can it be achieved with around 500-600$?
2.is it still reliable at 200hp or a little more.
2. why would you choose a speed over a 1.8t?

I was very impressed and the engine seems to be very strong which is not the case with the speed, but a lot of people buy them and they are not as original as the speed.

thanks.
Click to expand...

200HP with a speed...ummm...
you wil probably need some of these:
better intercooler system (either SMIC or FMIC)
i would go FMIC just coz it is sexy :)
also, exhaust, at least catless or gutted
and up the PSI to 11 with an AFC and a wideband..

hmm, thinking baout it, it would be about 1000 tame 200WHP, but way worth it
 
thanks a lot lol. but i was thinking of 200bhp. 200whp would be stg like 230bhp right?

but when you say up the psi, its with a BC? the afc wont play with psi at all?
 
yea, BC
the AFC will help you lean out the mixture a bit to get more HP
MSP's are by definition very RICH, so, lenaing out can help you gain some hp's
 
There are several issues with the reliabilty that need addressed before you start adding boost ect here's a great place to start.
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/show...mods-for-a-daily-driven-MSP-quot-guide-thread

Keep in mind that a VW was designed for boost which is why 18psi is doable. The MSP motor was never designed for boost. They just took a reg Pro motor and added a turbo!
You don't really need a BC to add boost. I adjust my boost via the WGA. With the Forge unit you can run upto 10 PSI with the green spring and higher with other springs. You will NEVER need a higher spring unless you forge the internals which it doesn't seem like you will with a $1K budget. BTW the WGA is one of the first parts you might want to change due to reliability.
I love my MSP esp the color and styling of it, but in hind site had I gone with the Jetta or GTI I originally wanted I'd be making more power reliably. Then again I wasn't looking at a 1.8T I was looking at VR6s.
 
Alejo_NIN said:
200HP with a speed...ummm...
you wil probably need some of these:
better intercooler system (either SMIC or FMIC)
i would go FMIC just coz it is sexy :)
also, exhaust, at least catless or gutted
and up the PSI to 11 with an AFC and a wideband..

hmm, thinking baout it, it would be about 1000 tame 200WHP, but way worth it
Click to expand...

11 psi with this will net you more than 200whp I think, but 8-9 psi on those mods would make the car just as reliable as stock, if not more and be pushing 200 easily.

I would say an IC and exhaust upgrade with a tuner will achieve it, but I think your budget is high. I did my whole FMIC for under $250, 350 for an SSAFC, and a midpipe used for under 100.
 
Jo060 said:
VW's interior smell like crayons, and have a slush box tranny. I'd never pay for a VW.
Click to expand...

its because they spray some kinda sound deadening wax inside the doors. smells just like crayons though. lol but as far as trannys go, the msp has a bad one too.
 
to OP: 200hp is easy to reach with a couple of bolt ons just like others have said. and it may be just me but I love my MSP, so of course I would pick it over the 1.8t VW
 
I'm just going to throw this in:

the MSP is one of the fastest, if not THE fastest FWD car through the slalom ever.

thats one of the reasons I love it. its got character that a jetta never will, and if you take proper care of an MSP the reliability issues are minimal. I've had not one problem with mine in over 35K (bought at 68K, 103K currently) aside from the diff popping, and I attribute half that to the engine mounts being blown.
 
Last edited:
I got both. The MP3 is my fun car. The 1.8t is my daily beater. I have done some mods to it for about $400 and I am well into the 200hp area. The vw has 230,000 miles and has needed no major maint., and can run 12 lbs daily. Fun and faster than the mazda in a straight line but it has to much body roll and can not keep up in the corners. Depends on what you are looking for....
 
comparing pounds of boost is both unfair and pointless, because in the end it doesn't mean anything. swapping turbos to something more efficient on the MSP's 2.0l displacement like a GT28 is proof of that.

other than that, you're absolutely correct, it all depends on priorities.
 
1.8T's suck IMHO... I have 2 friends with them and they break more then my MSP haha. And a FMIC and A Exhaust will sometimes get you close to 200HP, every MSP seams to read differently HP wise. lol!
 
Carl i was not comparing lbs of boost by anymeans. They are two different animals. I was just saying that it was fun at that range as a point. Always so negative. Not like the stock VW turbos are effective either?
 
dandan2 said:
its because they spray some kinda sound deadening wax inside the doors. smells just like crayons though. lol but as far as trannys go, the msp has a bad one too.
Click to expand...

And then have you seen it melt out of the door and run down the exterior of the rocker panel?

My friend's 2001 Wolfsberg has had all 4 windows fall of their mechanisms and into the door.

The 1.8Ts had 2 different levels of tune from the factory. In about 2001, they came with a weak 150ish hp. Then in about 2002 VW upped the power to about 170 (all in the fuel mapping). If you go with a VW, I'd go with a newer one with the better factory map.

But German cars are sometimes just weird to work on. I've worked on the above Jetta and a different friend's Mercedes. The Germans are just weird sometimes. I've heard of similar stories from people who have worked on BMWs and Porsches as well.

Frankly, I wouldn't go either and go with a newer car of some sort. Either one is at best 6 or 7 years old at this point. Lots have had the potential of someone modding it like crazy and then returning it to stock to sell. I'd go with something newer and low mileage.
 
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